Little Jimmy's Pre-school

St Clare's Day Nursery St James Church Hall, Tower Road, CLACTON-ON-SEA, Essex, CO15 1LF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/12/2013 13/03/2013

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Children are effectively protected from harm because of the nursery's effectively implemented clear policies and procedures. Practitioners demonstrate secure knowledge of how to protect children.  The quality of teaching is good. Practitioners are effective early educators, who understand the seven areas of learning and use their expertise to deliver an exciting and challenging educational programme. Well-considered observations are used to identify children's next steps in learning, and planning is tailored to meet each child's learning needs.  Children settle well into their nursery life, aided through the effective settling-in procedures. Key persons spend valuable time with new children and their families identifying clear information about the children, their home life and their interests. This information is used to gain a good understanding of the children before they begin nursery.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to further develop the outdoor provision for children by providing greater opportunities for them to choose when to play outdoors and by ensuring the activities and experiences available cover all seven areas of learning.  Opportunities for parents to become actively involved in their children's learning are currently being further developed. At present they are informed of their children's progress informally, however, are not able to attend more formal meetings to fully share in their children's progress and achievements.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the two playrooms and garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager, deputies, practitioners, special educational needs coordinator and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a range of records including children's details, information about children's learning and development, written policies, written risk assessments, accident and medication records and a selection of other relevant documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to at the time of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

St Clare's Day Nursery was registered in 2010 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a church building in the Clacton- on-Sea area of Essex and is managed by a committee. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from two rooms and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, 13 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2, 3 and 4, including one practitioner with Early Years Teacher Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are from 8.45am until 11.45am, lunch is from 11.45am until 12.30pm and afternoon sessions are from 12.30pm until 3.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 78 children attending who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 enhance the range of resources and activities on offer in the outdoor environment to strengthen children's knowledge of all seven areas of learning and provide greater opportunities for children to make choices about whether they play indoors or outdoors

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 improve opportunities for parents to play a more active role in their children's learning through both formal and informal sharing of information about children's development.

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who attend

Children are keen, motivated and excited about learning. They participate in a wide range of adult-led and child-initiated learning experiences, provided through well-considered planning. Practitioners demonstrate good knowledge of the children in their key worker groups. They follow their lead well and recognise their different learning styles. Key persons frequently observe the children in their groups and use their observations to identify children's next steps in learning. They display each child's next steps on a wall so that parents and other practitioners working in the room are aware of each child's development targets. Observations are recorded in the children's learning journeys and used to track children's progress and achievements. Developmental records show that children make good progress across all areas of learning including those who have additional learning needs. All children are well supported in their learning through the

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who attend

nursery's procedures and through appropriate interventions from outside agencies. Parents have some opportunities to view their children's learning journeys and to discuss their progress with their child's key person.

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who attend

Children begin attending this nursery from the age of two. They initially start their nursery life in the two- to three-year-old room and progress to the three- to five-year-old room when they are ready for this transition. Younger children's needs are effectively met by practitioners who understand their needs. They enjoy playing with an interesting range of resources, some of which consist of natural materials and household objects. A cosy book corner enables younger children to enjoy a story or to rest and to become familiar with favourite books. Practitioners recognise children's emergent speech and use clear, repetitive language to help to promote their communication and language skills. Children are encouraged to develop independence by accessing the hand-washing facilities and by making choices about which resources to explore. Older children move confidently around their room, making good use of the wide variety of activities on offer to them. They

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who attend

proficiently use the computer and negotiate their way through the various software packages. Electronic pens provide opportunities for children to explore technology further. An exciting selection of dressing-up clothes provide excellent opportunities for children to become new characters and to develop their imaginative skills. A group of beautiful princesses, clad in an array of pink, purple and yellow dresses, are employed to work in 'Santa's workshop'. They busy themselves hammering, sawing and drilling with the selection of pretend tools and workbenches available to them.

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who attend

Practitioners proficiently follow children's interests, facilitating their play and enhancing their learning. For example, children create a variety of models from the 'stickle bricks'. Practitioners help them to find the shapes they require to achieve their desired model. Ample time is provided for children to complete their chosen tasks, for example, children wishing to finish their puzzle before embarking on snack time, are provided with opportunities to do so. Practitioners recognise that some children learn more effectively in an outdoor environment. They provide opportunities for all children to access the nursery garden and are in the process of developing this area with additional digging space, planting and growing areas and a mud kitchen. At present, however, children are not able to freely choose when to play outdoors and are not provided with a range of activities, which enables them to fully explore all seven areas of learning. Practitioners encourage

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who attend

children to develop a wide range of skills to enable them to deal with the various transitions in their life. For example, they encourage children to learn good listening skills in preparation for attending big school. They provide opportunities for children to put on and take off their coats and shoes to enhance their independence skills and encourage them to become confident young people by promoting good communication skills.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are settled, content and comfortable in the nursery environment. Effective settling-in procedures are in place to enable children, parents and key persons to play an active role in every child's early experience of nursery life. Children form close and caring relationships with their key person and practitioners demonstrate a good understanding of the key person role. Practitioners are well deployed to support all children and are encouraged to work with both age groups throughout the week, to enable them to develop a greater understanding of all of the children attending the nursery. Practitioners act as good role models, encouraging children to be kind and caring towards each other. Behaviour within the nursery is good. There is a calm and relaxed environment, where happy children enjoy their nursery experiences. Practitioners use praise and encouragement to promote children's self-confidence and demonstrate a good

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

understanding about how to develop children's emotional well-being. This results in confident children who fully benefit from their nursery experiences.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

The nursery environment has recently undergone a significant improvement. The main room used for children aged three to five years, used to be separated into three smaller rooms. By opening the three sets of bi-folding doors, the room has been changed into one large, bright and airy space. Resources are effectively presented to enable children to guide their own learning and to make choices over their play. The walls of this room are effectively decorated with informative, colourful posters and examples of the children's creative work. A cosy book corner enables children to enjoy their experiences of reading and looking at books and doubles as a comfortable space for those children requiring a rest. The door of the room leading into the two- to three-year-old room is mostly left open, enabling both children and practitioners to become more actively involved with the rest of the nursery. This improvement also aids transition for children moving from the

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

younger children's room to the large room. Siblings come to see their younger family members and younger children are provided with daily opportunities to familiarise themselves with the larger room.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are beginning to take some risks, which promotes their understanding of safety. For example, they make their own sandwiches at snack time and are reminded to place their chairs back under the table to prevent their friends from tripping over the legs. Discussions about foods which are good for them, encourage children to make healthy choices and to develop an understanding about keeping healthy. Children experience exercise each day, when they play in the nursery garden and develop physical skills by making use of the range of physical play resources available to them.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward by Ofsted following a safeguarding allegation, which was investigated by the appropriate authorities. The nursery followed its safeguarding procedures effectively throughout the safeguarding investigation. Advice was taken from the local authority through every step of the process to ensure that the nursery was also effectively following the local authority safeguarding procedures. A number of lessons were learned through this investigation and all aspects of the nursery's safeguarding procedures were tightened. For example, systems for practitioners to supervise each other and to witness personal care routines have been greatly improved to protect children and practitioners. Documentation has been reviewed and improvements implemented, for example, with regards to systems for the recording of nappy changing. All practitioners have updated their safeguarding knowledge by reading the nursery's safeguarding

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provision

procedures and by accessing safeguarding training on-line. The designated person for safeguarding keeps abreast of any changes to safeguarding procedures by regularly updating her designated person training. The nursery's written safeguarding children policy contains all relevant information, including a clear policy on the use of mobile phones and cameras within the setting. All adults, including students working with young children are vetted and proof of the suitability checks undertaken are available for inspection. The nursery is in the process of renewing all suitability checks as good practice. Children play and learn in a clean and well-organised environment, that is effectively checked for risks each day before they arrive.

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provision

The manager has recently reviewed her role and appointed an additional deputy to form a strong management team. Some of the manager's roles have been delegated to her two deputies to enable her to devote her time more effectively to supervising her team of practitioners. This system works well and enables the deputies to take greater responsibilities, for example, with regards to health and safety and to the role of the special educational needs coordinator. Effective monitoring of the educational programme, planning and assessment result in children being offered a challenging, stimulating and individual educational programme. Any gaps in children's development are quickly identified through the nursery's observation and assessment procedures and appropriate intervention is sought for children requiring additional help. Practitioners, children, parents and outside agencies feed into the nursery's self-evaluation process. This enables the

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provision

management team to identify the nursery's strengths and weaknesses and to regularly review all aspects of nursery life. The changes that have taken place within the nursery over the previous year have been extensive and have proven to be very successful. The nursery was struggling with numbers at the beginning of the year and its future sustainability was in question. It is now flourishing and working almost to full capacity with few spaces left for the January intake.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are strong. A number of parents spoken to at the time of the inspection gave positive feedback about the nursery. They comment on the professionalism of the practitioners and how supported they feel by their child's key person. Some parents share individual situations about their children's development issues being effectively identified through the nursery's observation and assessment procedures. Others comment on the effective settling-in procedures and how well the whole family is supported through this process. The nursery is currently working on ways in which it can improve its systems for fully involving parents in their children's learning. They have recently introduced 'wow boards' in each room. These enable parents and practitioners to celebrate special moments in each child's life or to highlight achievements. Parents are also given good verbal feedback about their child's day. Some parents comment that they

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provision

would like more opportunities to discuss their child's progress in a formal way. The nursery is in the process of developing open events which would provide this opportunity. Links with other early years settings which children attend are strong, and the nursery communicates effectively with primary schools in the local area. This helps to aid a smooth transition for children moving from nursery to big school.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY415398 Local authority Essex Inspection number 948000

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 78 Name of provider St Clare's Day Nursery Date of previous inspection 13/03/2013 Telephone number 01255427629

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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